Gas tank and method of manufacturing gas tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10654226-B2
Application number	US-201815889426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	Feb 10, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a gas tank comprises: a step (a) of preparing a liner having a hollow cylindrical shape; a step (b) of forming a first layer by winding a first fiber bundle impregnated with resin around the liner; a step (c) of forming a second layer by winding a second fiber bundle impregnated with resin around the liner with the wound first fiber bundle in such a manner that portions of the second fiber bundle overlap each other in a direction parallel to a center axis of the liner; a step (d) of causing a section where the portions of the second fiber bundle overlap each other to get into the first layer; and a step (e) of curing the resin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas tank comprising:
a liner having a hollow cylindrical shape; and
a fiber-reinforced resin layer formed external to the liner and including a fiber bundle impregnated with resin, wherein the fiber-reinforced resin layer includes:
a first layer formed on an outer circumference of the liner and including a first fiber bundle; and
a second layer formed external to the first layer and including a second fiber bundle, wherein
the first layer includes an inner layer and an external layer, the inner layer being closer than the external layer to the liner, the external layer being external to the inner layer, and the external layer including a layer having a spaced-apart section in which the first fiber bundle is wound in such a manner that adjacent portions of the first fiber bundle are spaced apart,
the second layer includes an overlapped section in which the second fiber bundle is wound in such a manner that portions of the second fiber bundle adjacent in a direction parallel to a center axis of the liner overlap each other, and
the overlapped section of the second layer gets into the spaced-apart section of the external layer.

2. The gas tank in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the external layer includes a helical layer in which the first fiber bundle is wound by helical winding.

3. The gas tank in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the external layer includes a layer in which resin in the first fiber bundle has a larger volume ratio than the resin in the first fiber bundle in the inner layer.

4. The gas tank in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the first fiber bundle is formed of carbon fibers, and
the second fiber bundle is formed of glass fibers.

5. The gas tank in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a label provided between the first layer and the second layer, wherein
a percent of an overlap between the adjacent portions of the second fiber bundle in the second layer is greater in a place above the label than in a place other than the place above the label.

6. A method of manufacturing a gas tank, comprising the steps of:
a step (a) of preparing a liner having a hollow cylindrical shape;
a step (b) of forming a first layer including multiple layers by winding a first fiber bundle impregnated with resin around the liner, wherein the step (b) includes:
a step (b-1) of forming an inner layer of the multiple layers; and
a step (b-2) of forming an external layer of the multiple layers, the inner layer being closer than the external layer to the liner and the external layer being external to the inner layer, wherein in the step (b-2), the first fiber bundle is wound in such a manner so as to form a spaced-apart section of the external layer in which adjacent portions of the first fiber bundle are spaced apart by a gap;

a step (c) of forming a second layer by winding a second fiber bundle impregnated with resin around the liner with the wound first fiber bundle in such a manner that portions of the second fiber bundle overlap each other in a direction parallel to a center axis of the liner in an overlapped section of the second layer;
a step (d) of causing the overlapped section of the second layer to get into the spaced-apart section of the external first layer; and
a step (e) of curing the resin.

7. The method of manufacturing a gas tank in accordance with claim 6 , wherein
the step (b-2) includes a step of forming a helical layer by winding the first fiber bundle by helical winding.

8. The method of manufacturing a gas tank in accordance with claim 6 ,
the step (b-2) includes a step of forming a layer in which the resin in the first fiber bundle has a larger volume ratio than the resin in the first fiber bundle in the inner layer.

9. The method of manufacturing a gas tank in accordance with claim 6 ,
the step (b-2) includes a step of winding the first fiber bundle by applying a tension lower than a tension applied to the first fiber bundle in the step (b-1).

10. The method of manufacturing a gas tank in accordance with claim 6 , wherein
the first fiber bundle is formed of carbon fibers, and
the second fiber bundle is formed of glass fibers.

11. The method of manufacturing a gas tank in accordance with claim 6 , comprising a step executed between the step (b) and the step (c) of affixing a label to a part of the first layer, wherein
in the step (c), the second fiber bundle is wound in such a manner that a percent of an overlap between adjacent portions of the second fiber bundle in the second layer is greater in a place above the label than in a place other than the place above the label.

12. The method of manufacturing a gas tank in accordance with claim 6 , wherein
the step (d) includes a step of housing the liner with the wound second fiber bundle in a housing of a curing device, applying heat to a softening temperature of the resin, and causing the overlapped section of the second layer to get into the first layer by pressing a surface of the second layer with an inner surface of the housing.

13. The method of manufacturing a gas tank in accordance with claim 6 , wherein
the step (d) includes a step of causing the overlapped section of the second layer to get into the first layer by pressing a surface of the second surface with a flattening tool while applying heat.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ueda Naoki
• Imai Katsuki

Classifications

• B29K2063/00

  Use of {EP, i.e.} epoxy resins {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material · CPC title

• F17C2223/0123

  gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC · CPC title

• F17C2223/036

  Very high pressure (>80 bar) · CPC title

• F17C2203/0604

  Liners · CPC title

• B29C70/207 Primary

  arranged in parallel planes of fibres crossing at substantial angles · CPC title